On this year's Thanksgiving Day, I thanked God for a lot of the
good and bad things with which I've been blessed. I especially thanked God for
the realizations that there is only one Pamela Geller; I cannot imagine life with
two or three of her ilk.

An Internet blogger and Islam-hater, Ms. Geller has spewed her
venomous poison by warning Americans not to eat turkey meat by the brand name,
Butterball, simply because it is certified halal. Halal in some fashion is like
Kosher: it is the acceptable form of slaughtering animals within the system of
dietary constraints that observant Muslims must follow. In a column on The American Thinker, Ms. Geller is outraged that not
only those halal meats are already prevalent throughout most of the meat
industry, but also now, they have even infiltrated the popular frozen turkey
producer Butterball. She went as far as calling for the boycott of the
company's turkey.

Ms. Geller is joined by
other Islamophobes. Robert Spencer called
this revelation "shocking" on his Jihad Watch blog - and
she even set up the "Boycott Butterball Turkey" Facebook
page, which so far has about 900 "likes." Geller prods supporters
to "keep calling and writing. All Halal should be labeled." And
anti-Islam, anti-bear activist Bryan Fischer
of the American Family Association tweeted this warning on Tuesday:
"Be advised: every single Butterball turkey sold in America this
Thanksgiving has been sacrificed to Allah first." In addition, there is
the site Bare
Naked Islam which provided this "WARNING" for its
subscribers: "ALL 'BUTTERBALL' TURKEYS ARE HALAL-SLAUGHTER CERTIFIED. JUST
IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING. I have just learned that the turkeys so many
Americans enjoy for the holidays are certified Islamic-blessed, halal-slaughtered
birds."

Ms. Geller is getting away with her
bestial attacks on Islam and Muslims. This latest manifestation would not have
gone unpunished had she replaced the word halal with kosher, the term that
describes a regime of laws governing the dietary requirements of observant
Jews. She would be promptly labeled an anti-Semite (and possibly, a self-hating
Jew) and would be forced to recant. But American Muslims have not achieved the
political and financial maturity of American Jews to extract such a punishment.
The fact that so few have 'Liked" her Facebook appeal, demonstrates how her
extremist views are removed from mainstream America.

The requirements
for halal slaughtering are remarkably close to those found in a kosher regime.
First, the animal must be in the halal category, i.e. an herbivore or the birds
identified in the Koran. Second, the individual performing the slaughter must
be an adult Muslim. Third, the name of God must be pronounced at the moment of
slaughter. Finally, the throat must be cut in a manner that brings about
complete and fast bleeding which would result in the most rapid death. The
agreed-upon method for fulfilling this last condition is to cut three of the
four main passages, i.e. jugulars, esophagus, trachea, and carotids.

Worldwide, halal meat production is dominated
by non-Muslim countries such as Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France,
India, New Zealand, UK, and USA. The non-Muslim world is effectively supplying
the Muslim world with Halal meat, making this market a truly global concern.

One noticeable trend is that many
meat producers are deciding to do away with a dual slaughtering process.
Producing non-halal meat is becoming increasing perceived as irrelevant. The
Muslims insist on halal, and the rest of the world seems happy enough (save a
few) to eat it as well, so why bother with non-halal slaughter?

Halal foods while similar to kosher foods are
not identical. For one, kosher permits alcohol and forbids shelled fish. Islam
forbids alcohol and permits all sea creatures. Until recently, American Muslims
have considered kosher foods to be a permitted food in the absence of
Halal-certified foods. I, I like many Muslims, do consume kosher-labeled foods
every day. Whether it is my cola drink, gum stick, "Hebrew National" hot dog or occasional pastrami, I
see no sinister conspiracy to force Judaism down my throat.

Halal is fast becoming a new
market identifier, a new market structure. As this trend increases and
strengthens, we are likely to see the call for some form of standardization of
procedures and certification methodologies. Where Geller may be correct is the
issue of labeling products. But she is not the Ralph Nader type consumer
advocate. And that's where I part with her Islamophobic fear mongering.

I as a concerned consumer demand
and expect accurate labeling of foods I consume. In a sense, Butterball cannot
claim it is selling halal foods because the turkeys are not labeled as such. If
they were labeled halal-certified, the turkeys would have undergone a very
strict set of requirement not only dealing with the slaughtering method. Islam
requires that for any food to be permitted (halal), it must be freshly killed,
not injured or sick and its feed contains no impure ingredients. The halal
certified meats and foods thus extract a higher premium because of these
requirements.

Halal food is a growing industry
not only in the US but also all over the world. Recent statistic put the halal
market volume at well over $14 billion in the US alone. (The worldwide halal meat market is estimated at around $630 billion.) With a population of
close to 8 million, American Muslims are increasingly demanding clear mandates
to protect their rights as consumers. Because as an observant Muslim, I am used
to paying more for halal-certified foods. This fact has enticed many greedy
merchants to mislabel their products as halal. When this practice is uncovered,
the relevant consumer agencies are notified, fines would be levied, and even
licenses suspended. But enforcement is not uniform and in some states it does not
exist. New Jersey has led the nation in 2000 by
enacting laws that govern the marketing of halal foods. No the State is not becoming
an agent of Islam and the Establishment Clause is not being compromised. Like kosher laws,
the state was responding to consumer demands to that, like selling
prescriptions drugs or beef, the seller clearly indicates all the relevant and
law mandated details.

The silly outrage about halal turkeys
is misplaced and in many ways dilutes the true spirit of Thanksgiving. If you
have eaten a truly halal-certified turkey, be thankful: you have eaten a
well-fed and humanely killed bird. The rampage is meritless and truly exposes
the hate with which the heart of Pam Geller is stuffed. Update: (Watch this video)

Dr. Aref Assaf, president of
American Arab Forum, a think tank specializing in Arab and Muslim American affairs. www.aafusa.org